by Graham Thorpe’s wife Amanda has revealed that the former England batsman committed suicide due to depression and anxiety.
The England and Wales Cricket Association announced on August 5 that Thorpe had died at the age of 55. Condolences poured in for one of the country’s finest Test players. Thorpe was a mainstay in the England team for most of his life, first as a player between 1993 and 2005 before serving in various coaching roles for 12 years. However, in May 2022, he was admitted to hospital and declared “seriously ill”.
Amanda Thorpe has now stated in an interview with the Times that Thorpe had already attempted suicide two years ago before he attempted suicide earlier this month.
“Despite having a wife and two daughters who he loved and who loved him, he was not getting better. He had been so poorly recently and he genuinely believed we would be better off without him and we are devastated that he acted on this and took his own life,” she said. “Over the last few years, Graham suffered from severe depression and anxiety. This led to him making a serious suicide attempt in May 2022 which resulted in a lengthy stay in intensive care.
“Despite glimmers of hope and despite being the old Graham, he continued to suffer from depression and anxiety, which at times became very severe. We supported him as a family and he tried many, many treatments, but unfortunately none of them really seemed to work. Graham was known as someone who was very mentally strong on the field and he was in good physical health. But mental illness is a real illness and it can affect anyone.”
Thorpe’s daughter Kitty explained why the family was willing to disclose his mental health issues. She added: “We are not ashamed to talk about it. There is nothing to hide and there is no stigma.”
“We were trying to help him get better and protect him. That’s why we didn’t say anything. Now it’s time to spread the news, as terrible as it is. We wanted to talk and share, and now we also want to raise awareness.”
